Following their off-campus study experience, students complete a senior thesis or creative project under the supervision of the Honors Advisor/Mentor. The Honors thesis or project is designed to provide expertise in the student’s discipline and further enrichment of the student’s curriculum.

The Honors Thesis is generally a research paper ranging in length from 35 to 60 pages. The paper should be well written, carefully documented, and organized.

A creative project could also meet the requirements of the senior project. The production, performance or creative work should be fashioned according to the requirements of the student’s specific area of study, and must be deemed appropriate by agreement of the Honors Advisor, the Honors Director and the Honors Council.

Creative project examples include:

the writing and directing of a play

the production of a film

the creation of a piece of music or art

The Honors Thesis or project may represent original research or a new finding in the field or may be an original creative work. It may also result in conference presentations and publications in scholarly journals. However, originality in the form of new findings in the field is not required for the completion of a satisfactory thesis, nor is publication or presentation at a conference.

"Studying in and traveling around the British Isles for two months was a fantastic experience for me. I not only learned a great deal from the classes I took, but I was also able to gather a lot of necessary information for my thesis. This opportunity has without a doubt changed my life. While traveling around and in Cambridge, I met many people from all over the world. I learned a great deal about other cultures, and in the process I made some very close friends. This experience also gave me the ability to learn more about myself; I became more independent and extroverted, and I discovered a couple of careers that I am highly interested in." ~ Desirée Sharland, History and Spanish Major: History and Medieval Studies in Great Britain

"Being a business student, I observed the marketing strategies all around me. The advertising was nothing like I had seen before. What I noticed was the use of bright colors in most of the advertisements, the cartoon-like mascots for practically everything (especially electronics), and their emphasis on the youth as spokespeople for some items. Because Taiwan is a leader in technology innovation and production, I saw a large variety of computers, cell phones, PDAs, etc. One unique aspect was the amount of customization available." ~ Fatima Qureshi, International Business and East Asian Culture, Japan and Taiwan

"The most important thing I learned during my off-campus trip is how significant the very act of going on an off-campus trip is. From this trip, I took away many pictures, and ideas for things to incorporate into my design of The Little Shop of Horrors. But more than that, this trip exposed me to the professional world to which I will soon belong. I met real people, really succeeding in my field. I saw where they worked, and how hard they worked, and how they make their lives and work come together. It made me think differently about what I will do when I graduate." ~ Kelly Burge, Theatre Major: Theatre Studies in Chicago